Learning to Live and Love: Returning Reflections

Therefore welcome one another
as Christ has welcomed you,
for the glory of God.
Romans 15:7 ESV

John and I recently returned home after a glorious six week car trip (see previous posts). It’s taking longer than we thought to “get our Ohio feet under us” (as John has been saying).

My friend Barb may be right. She claims it takes 3 times the length of the trip we’ve been on to recover from being away. That means I need to give myself 18 weeks (4-1/2 months) to recover totally. Can that be right? Maybe so…it sure feels like it right now.

Well, as I’m “letting myself off the hook” for a while longer, I’ve been reflecting. And I realize that embracing my present reality for six weeks “on the road” has gone deep into my soul.

And I’ve become more aware of miscellaneous people in and out of my life…precious people whom God loves.

For instance, this morning I was waiting for John outside Sam’s Club. Person by person, couple by couple, family by family, passed through the exit on the way into the parking lot. I had the most glorious experience of really seeing each one with the eyes of the Holy Spirit — each one representing a life with various joys and struggles. And I was filled with God-inspired, specific prayer for all the possible needs.

What a delight to really SEE them and “receive” them and hold each one up to the Lord God. I want those lessons learned on our car trip to be true of my daily life right here and now … lessons about “everyone being my neighbor” and “hospitality being more than inviting over for dinner”…

It’s like stopping to compliment a beautiful 86 y.o. women at the Rec Center yesterday, finding she is a sister in the Lord and was energized by my encouragement.

O thank you, Lord, for the gift of strangers, my neighbors, whom you can bless through me. So I remember afresh the spontaneous meditation that came into my mind and heart on the way to Dallas a few weeks ago:

No matter where I am,
no matter where I travel,
there are always people God puts across my path —
known and unknown —
whom I can love
and to whom I can show grace and kindness
in Jesus’ Name
through His indwelling Spirit
because “He does the living and loving
and I do the letting.”

This is walking in the Spirit.

So I step into each moment with Christ-confident Hope,
Knowing that
HE is Enough for every relationship
and
every situation I encounter.

In JESUS’ Name. Amen.

YOUR TURN: I would love to hear of any spontaneous “hospitality/ neighbor/ stranger interactions” the Lord opens up before you.
Did you hesitate? What happened when you seized the moment?
Life is too short… take the step into the present opportunity —
bless and be blessed … in Jesus’ Name!

Jacob, our clerk in Deming, NM. A brother in the lord with a cross around his neck

Pastor Ron runs the coffee shop “aslan’s cafe” in van Horn, TX. he grieves over deaths of desperate people deceived by mexican drug cartels

aslan’s cafe, van horn, tx